Blueberry Kisses
by alien09
Summary: Puck never thought he'd say this, but letting Berry turn him into a whore had kind of been worth it / One-shot set during Theatricality. Puckleberry if you squint.


Puck frowned, staring down at the stage make-up in front of him. He was in the handicapped bathroom that Artie had told him about, his Kiss costume already on. Shifting uncomfortably in the lyrca or whatever this shit was (all Puck knew was that it was _seriously _making his junk _mucho _uncomfortable), Puck was just about to concede defeat and get Hummel in here when there was a knock at the door.

His entire body went still. _Fuck_. What if it was the guys from the football team? He had _just _gotten his mojo back after shaving off his mohawk. Sure this was for Glee but when had that ever mattered?

And then he remembered how he had gotten frozen out by those assholes and decided that he didn't really care.

'Noah?' Rachel Berry's voice drifted through the closed door and Puck didn't know whether to roll his eyes or not. Marching over towards the door, he unlocked it and made sure his body was positioned behind the door.

'What?'

'Matthew requested that I make sure you were suitably costumed for your performance. He mentioned that you might have some difficulty with the cosmetic side,' Rachel said and Puck saw that a few of the stuffed animals Berry had stapled onto her outfit had fallen away. The white material that was left exposed kind of made him feel bad and Puck opened the door wide enough for her to come in. He actually did roll his eyes when he noticed Rachel's wide eyes, the way her hands had come to cover her mouth as if to prevent him from seeing her laughter.

'Yeah, yeah. The Pucksaurus looks _awesome _and you know it,' Puck remarked flippantly. Rachel let out a giggle and Puck felt something inside his chest relax at the genuine smile decorating her features.

'Well your arms are certainly lovely,' Rachel commented, brushing by him towards the sink. Puck wondered if he had imagined the hitch in her speech but shook his head, lowering himself onto the metal railing that ran alongside the wall. He felt what looked like a felt pig brush against his leg as Rachel expertly scrutinized the stage make-up Mike had delivered into his hands. Puck didn't say anything, instead finding himself looking at Rachel.

She _looked _okay. He didn't really know what he had expected Rachel to do after Mercedes had let slip that that Vocal Adrenaline coach was her Mum (and don't think he hasn't noticed how much of a gossip queen that chick still was. Rachel may have been the one to tell Finn, but Puck knew that Mercedes had been the one to tell the rest of the Gleeks), but seeing Rachel so forlorn and what she had said about mourning her lost childhood…well, it had kind of _gotten _to Puck okay? He figured that she was kind of his ex-girlfriend and that had to mean that they were sort of, maybe friends. Berry hadn't actually gone out of her way to ostracize him or bitch him out about lying to her about Quinn while they were together. In fact, she'd simply been treating him the same way she had treated him before. Which meant she had told him she was sorry via her awesome sugar cookies and then told him in that obnoxious voice of hers that despite his difficult circumstances, she fully expected him to apply himself one hundred and ten per cent towards Glee.

Puck may not have attended a math class in years, but he was pretty sure Berry meant one hundred per cent.

Clearing his throat, Puck saw her reach for the pot of black grease and a brush.

'Hey. You okay?' He finally asked hesitantly. This time there was no mistaking the pause in her movements as she twisted around, dipping the brush liberally into the paint and swirling the bristles around rather aggressively.

'As I said before Noah, I assure you that I am not jumping ship as you so eloquently put it,' she answered, attempting levity. Puck reached out to curl his fingers around her wrist, her skin slightly cool underneath his. Rachel stared at him patiently, making no move to loosen his grip.

'I meant about, you know…' He trailed off, wondering _why _he was voluntarily initiating this conversation. 'You said something before about how your therapist was moving into your room. I mean, that was a joke right?' Puck asked her, suddenly remembering the bloom of shock in his gut when she had said those words in the choir room.

'No. Dr Harmon and I will continue to see each other once a week,' Rachel answered him gently with a smile curving her lips.

'I'm Paul Stanley,' Puck told her as she inched the brush closer towards his face. 'The star child.'

'My musical repertoire involves more than Broadway Noah. I will do your visage justice.'

'Whatever. Just don't make me look like a hooker,' Puck muttered under his breath. Shit, Berry had pretty much admitted to him that she was seeking psychiatric help. His stomach twisted tightly when he wondered if she had started seeing the shrink after he had thrown the first slushie in her face.

'I went to see my mother after our performance you know?' Rachel said as if she was commenting about the weather. Puck's eyes shot up to meet hers. There was a moment, a quick one, when Puck remembered her sitting on his thigh with her fingers combing through his hair gently as she washed the slushie off. Their eyes had held then, her gaze self-deprecating while his had been ashamed.

This time Puck thought Rachel looked kind of limp, like that lamb she had perched on top of her head.

Rachel shifted her gaze away from him, biting on her bottom lip as she brushed the grease carefully across his face. Puck closed his eyes.

'I told her I really needed a Mum right now.'

'What'd she say?' Puck asked softly. It was weird that Rachel was telling him all this, but Puck had told her about his father once before. There was just something about Rachel that set him at ease. She had never judged him, never thought that whatever he said wasn't worth her time.

_Maybe I make her feel the same way._

The thought made his head spin.

'Well first she said that if I was going to recreate Gaga's Kermit the Frog dress, I should at least ensured my costume was outfitted with frogs and nothing else. And then she helped me sew another one,' Rachel told him. Puck could hear her smile when she said the last part.

'Cool.'

Rachel laughed a little awkwardly. 'Sorry. I know you don't really want to-'

'It's cool Berry,' Puck repeated, cracking open an eye when he felt the brush leave his face. 'You listened to me bitch about my fucktard of a father,' he shrugged his shoulders. He saw Rachel's brow pull together, her nose wrinkling.

'Oh Noah. Is this making you uncomfortable? That wasn't my intention at all. It's just that out of everyone I thought you would…'

'That I would get it?' Puck raised an eyebrow, finishing her sentence. Rachel coloured, holding up a sponge laden with white crap and stippling it onto his face. Puck felt her breath caress his cheek, resisted the weird impulse to shudder.

'Entirely presumptuous,' he heard Rachel murmur. Puck saw his fingers reach out to toy with a beanie baby, fingering the soft material before he spoke.

'Look when my dad walked out it was fucked up. Ma wouldn't stop crying and my sister was way too young to understand what was going on. The thing is your Mum came back.'

'She didn't come back,' Rachel interrupted him. 'She never left. She just chose not to see me.'

'Well shit Berry, it was probably hard as fuck to give you up okay?' Puck swallowed the lump forming in his throat, thinking of his daughter. 'She probably thought you'd hate her or something, just like how I hate my old man.'

'Noah, you know you would see your father if he ever chose to get in contact with you,' Rachel said soft, so matter-of-factly that Puck kind of hated _her_. It was shit like this that made Berry so dangerous, the way she thought she knew him. Like she was some kind of expert on him.

'Whatever. We aren't talking about me,' Puck brushed her comment off. His eyes narrowed when he saw what was in her hands. 'Where the fuck did that come from?'

'It's lipstick Noah,' Rachel chastised him.

'Where's the black stuff Matt's using?'

'Well he obviously forgot to give it to you,' Rachel said, sounding irritated. 'Now pucker up Puckerman.' She looked quite pleased with herself after that. Puck raised his eyes heavenward but complied. Rachel pressed her fingers to the side of his face to hold him steady. Her touch was _there _and Puck told himself that that swooping feeling he was currently experiencing was probably stage fright.

'There. Perfect,' Rachel announced with a smile, capping the lipstick and slipping it somewhere inside her costume.

'I thought you said you got another dress made? One that doesn't give children nightmares,' Puck remarked, reaching for the wig and pulling it over his shaved head.

'I placed it in my locker when Matthew requested my assistance.'

'Well, go change before another one of those things does a jumper or something,' Puck muttered. He didn't expect than soft touch against his ear as Rachel adjusted his wig.

'You should put those heels on Noah. It will certainly complete the effect,' Rachel said, giving him a smile and brushing her fingers against his cheek before turning around.

'Thanks,' Puck called out curtly. Rachel glanced at him over her shoulder.

'Thank you for listening,' was all she said before disappearing.

'Nice Puckerman. Fuck me heels _and _lips,' Mike smirked when Puck appeared on stage. Grabbing the guitar Artie handed him, Puck gave the Asian boy the finger.

'Woah,' Puck heard Finn say and twisted around, following the other boy's line of sight.

Rachel had come prancing in wearing another ridiculous Gaga costume. Only this one managed to do justice to her incredible rack. Puck didn't bother hiding his lingering gaze, taking in the smooth shoulders and legs currently on display.

'My mother made it for me,' she told the girls and Mr Schue. Then she turned and actually _winked _at him and for some reason this made Puck smile.

Touching the Star of David Berry had painted onto his face, he set to work tuning his guitar. Puck never thought he'd say this, but letting Berry turn him into a whore had kind of been worth it.


End file.
